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OOAGULA NT'FEBDER. 1 No. 510,112. 4 Patented Dec. 5, 1893.

Wmvassss JAMES H. LESSING Jl-ktorney.

GRAFPUNG cow N (No Model.) f 4SheetsSheet J. H. BLESSING.

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No. 510,112. 9 Patented 1160.5, 1893 WITNESSES: 015m 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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J. HQBLESSING. GOAGIILANT FEEDER.

1%.. 510,112. Patented Dec. 5, 1893.

INVENTOB JAM as BLESSI NGI M mm, 3 2M in: mmomm umoammm cauuuy,

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. H. BLESSINGC GOAGULANT FEEDER.

No. 510,112. I v Patented Dec. 5, 1893.

Wwu'sszs: INVENTQR W JAM'fEs H.BLES6ING,

WSW BY WMM omome UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. BLESSING, OF ALBANY, ASSIGNQR TO THE YORK FILTER COMPANY, OFNEW YORK, N. Y.

COAGULANT-FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,112, dated December5, 1893.

Application filed March 16, 1892. Serial No. 425,153. (1% model.)

T0 on whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, JAMES H. BLESSING, of the city and county of Albany,in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Devices for Feeding Liquid Coagulants into Water-PurifyingApparatus, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to improvements on the apparatus for whichLetters Patent of the United States No. 412,910 were granted to me onthe'loth day of October, 1889; and the object of my present invention isto provide facilities for rendering the apparatus capable of a verydelicate adj ustmeut, so that an exceedingly minute quantity of thecoagulant can be automatically introduced into a predetermined quantityof water to effect the purification of the latter. In the purificationof some waters a single drop of liquid coagulant to a gallon of thewater is found to be ample to effect the precipitation of any organicmatter that is held in suspension by the water, while in other watersthe proportion of the coagulant to a gallon of water requires to belargely increased to effect alike purpose. wherein a delicateadjustmeutof the parts is absolutely a necessity, it is very essentialthat the parts which govern the admission of the coagulant should bekept as far as possible from the solution in its greatest strength, forthe reason that the corrosive action would quickly destroy the parts andrender the adjustment a futility. It is also essential, when thisapparatus is used for household pur-' poseswhich is a use for which itis largely intendedthat the parts which regulate the quantity of thechemical to be admitted into the water, should be placed beyondinterference from an ordinary domestic servant.

In the accompanying drawings, which i llus-' trate a mechanism forattaining the object above stated and which, being herein referred to,forms part of this specification-Figured is a side elevation of myinvention applied to the water-supply pipe of a water-purifyingapparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the automatic-valve mechanismfor controlling the flow of water into the water-purifying ap- In anapparatus of this character,

paratusand into the chamber for containing the coagulant, the partsbeing in position to stop the flow of water into either portion of theapparatus. Fig. 4is a like section showing the parts in position toallow the Water to flow into the water-purifying apparatus andcoagulant-chamber. Fig. 5 is an enlarged vvertical section of thecoagulant-chamber. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of Fig. 3 at the lineX X. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of Fig. 4 at the line Y Y. Figs. 8and 9 are enlarged horizontal sections of Fig. 3 at the line Z Z,showing the valve for controlling the flow of water into thecoagulant-chamber at two different points of its adj ustability. Figs.10 and 11 are enlarged and detached side elevations of the valve forcontrolling the flow of Water into the coagulan-t chamber, showing.

said valveIadjusted at different points of its adjustability; and Fig.12 is a plan view of the valve-casing with its bonnet removed and thevalve-stem in horizontal section.

As represented in the drawings, A designates a water-purifying apparatusof a wellknown form, which I preferably use for this purpose, but itshould be understood that my present invention can be profit-ably usedin conjunction with any water-purifying'apparatus that operates underpressure.

B designates the valve-casing for containing the valve mechanism of mydevice.

0 designates the coagulant-chamber which .is usually made in cylindricalform and preferably of glass, so that the condition of its contents canbe readily examined. Preferably the coagulant used in said chamber is inthe form of crystals. v

The valve-chamber B has a cylindrical bore in which a cylindricalbushing, D, is tightly fitted to reduce the upper portion of said Ibore. An annular passage, E, is formed near the upper end of saidcasing; said passage being formed by an enlargement'of the bore of thecasing and the outer surface of the bushing D; the latter isprovidedwith a series of perforations, 1, leading from the passage E into thebore of said bushing. Said series of the perforations are made to extendfrom the bore of said bushing to the passage E, as shown in Fig. 7, andthe combined openings of said perforations should have an excess of areaover that of the passage F through which the water is conveyed into theapparatus, under pressure, by means of a supplypipe, G, which leads fromthe mains of a water-system. The valve-casing B contains a smallfiltering-chamber, H, which lies directly below the passage F, and fromthe latter a passage, 2, leads directly into said filteringchamber forthe purpose of conveying a portion of the inflowing water thereinto. Thefiltering-chamber 11 contains a filling of sponge or other porousmaterial that will remove the grit, and other substances that will beinjurious to the lowermost valve of the device, while the water ispercolating through the filtering material in said chamber; thefiltering material is introduced into the chamber II by means of anopening, 3, which is closed by a screw-plug, 4, which forms awater-tight closure for said opening. At the lower part of the chamberl-I an opening, 5, leads into the lower portion of the bore of thevalve-casing B for the purpose of conveying the filtered water from thechamber H into the lower portion of said valve-casing.

I designates a valve-stem which is provided with an upper-valve, J, anda lower-valve, K, both of which are made in the form of pistons, and arefitted to slide easilyin the bore of the bushing D. The upper-valve J isprovided with one or more openings, 6, for a purpose hereinafterexplained. A loose valve, L, is fitted to slide loosely on the upperportion of the valve-stem I, and said valve is designed to close theupper end of the bore of the bushing D. The valve L has its 1111b, 7,bored to leave aleakage around the valvestem 1, for the purpose ofallowing water to pass into the bore of the bushing-under conditionshereinafter set forth-from the chambered-bonnet, M, which covers theupper end of the valve-casing B.

From one side of the valve-casing B an outlet-pipe, N, projects toconvey the water from said valve-casing; preferablysaid outlet-pipe isarranged at the opposite side of the valvecasing from the supply-pipe G,and the distance between the valves J and K should be sufficient toavoid any danger of either of said valves closing over the opening ofthe outletpipe N.

In order to avoid any liability of the stoppage of the leaky joint ofthe hub 7 with the valve-stem I, a small opening, 8, is formed in thevalve L, as shown in Figs. 3 and 12.

The valves J and K are fitted to reciprocate in the bore of the bushingD, and normally the valve J will remain at the lowest point of itsmovement to close all of the perforations 1as shown in Fig. 3-andthereby the flow of water through the valve-casing B will be prevented.

For the purpose of reducing the pressure of the outflowing water belowthat of the infiowing current, a weight, 9, is attached to thevalve-stem I, and said weight should be proportioned to effect therequired reduction in said pressures. The weight 9 is preferablyarranged to be in the chamber formed by the bonnet M wherein it will beremoved from interference on the part of those who are unauthorized toadjust the apparatus. It should be understood that the weight 9 shouldbe proportioned to the area of the bore of the bushing D to effect therequired reduction of pressure under all variations of the latter. Forinstance if the area of the bore of the bushing D is five square inches,and it is required to reduce the pressure of the outflowing water onepound per square inch below that of the incoming water, the weight 9will require to be just five pounds to produce a reduction of one poundto the square inch regardless of the variations of pressure of theincoming water.

To the lower end of the valve-casing B there is attached a cylindricalextension, 0, whose bore is of a less diameter than that of the bushingD, but preferably said bores should be exactly centralized and in truealignment with each other. A tubular piston-valve, P, is fitted toreciprocate in the bore of said extension. Said valve is connected tothe lower end of the valve-stem I by means of a coupling, 10, which willallow a slight degree of flexion to suit any variation in the alignmentof the bores of the bushing D and extension 0. Preferably said couplingis made in the form shown in Letters Patent of the United States No.310,870, granted to me January 20, 1885, for improvements in revolublejoints for valve-stems.

The valve P is composed of an inner cylinder, l1, and an outer cylinder,12, which is fitted to reciprocate in the bore of the extension 0, andis bored to fit snugly on the periphery of said inner cylinder, to whichit is secured by means of a nut, 13, fitted to screw onto the lower endof said inner cylinder; the latter has a longitudinal opening, 14,whichextends upwardly from its lower end which remains constantly open. Saidinner cylinder is provided with a collar, 15, which forms a seat for theupper end of the outer cylinder which is provided with a circumferentialflange, 16, whose diameter is preferably made to correspond to that ofsaid collar.

The inner and outer cylinders, 11 and 12, are both provided with aseries of openings, 17, which correspond in both of said cylinders andare spaced in correspondence to the perforations 1 of the bushing D saidopenings lead into the longitudinal opening of the inner cylinder 11,and bya rotative adjustment of the inner and outer cylinders theeffective IIO area of said openings can be regulated to suit thedifferent conditions under which this apparatus may be required tooperate.

For the purpose of indicating the adj ustment of the openings 17 in theouter cylinder with those of the inner cylinder, an index, or graduatedscale, 18, is made on the periphery of the valve P, and said openingscan be readily adjusted in the following manner: The bonnet M is firstremoved from the valve-casing B, and the valve-stem I, with its attachedvalves, is drawn out of the bore of said valvecasing, whereby freeaccess is obtained to the valve P; the nut 13 is then slackened to freethe outer cylinder 12 so as to allow either of the cylinders, 11 or 12,to be turned to bring the openings 17 into the required adjustment,after which the nut 13 is tightened to hold the two cylinders; afterwhich the valve-stem I, and its attachments, is restored to its place,and the bonnet M is secured, thereby leaving the apparatus in conditionfor operation.

Leading from the lower end of the extension 0 there is a pipe, Q, whichconnects with the upper end of the coagulant-chamber C, said pipe beingcarried downward in said chamber nearly to the bottom of the latter, sothat the water flowing through said pipe will be delivered into thelower end of the coagulant-chamber and be carried into contact with thecoagulant contained therein, thereby effecting a thorough saturation ofthe water before it rises to the upper end of said chamber. An openingin the top of said chamberprovided with astopper 19aiTords the means forcharging the chamber 0 with the coagulant, and a similar opening in thebottom of said chamberprovided with a stopper 20- affords the means fordischarging any sedimentary deposit therefrom.

The coagulant-chamber is provided with a top-plate, 21, and abottom-plate, 22, both having an annular groove, 23, for receiving thecorresponding end of the cylinder 24, and each groove having an elasticannulus, 25, which forms a water-tight joint for said cylder. The topand bottom plates are each provided with lugs, 28, projecting fromopposite edges of same. Said lugs are slottedso as to be open at onesideto receive the bindingbolts,27,which draw said plates closelyagainst the ends of the cylinder 24 to form a watertight jointtherewith. From the top-plate 21 a coagulant-pipe, 28, leads upwardlyand is connected to the outlet-pipe N, said coagulant-pipe beingprovidedjwith a check-valve,

29, to prevent the water that passes through the outlet-pipe N fromgetting back into the coagulant-pipe. Preferably the pipes Q and 28 areeach provided with a stop-valve for the purpose of closing the passagesthrough said pipes; said stop valves being respectively designated as 30and 31. The outlet-pipe N connects with a branch-pipe, R, to conveywater, either in the condition in which it is received from the mains orwith coagulant mixed therewith, into the water-purifying apparatus.

When my invention is applied to a water system wherein a hot-waterboiler is included provision is required for relieving the apparatusfrom the extra pressure produced by the expansion of the water by heat.Said provision is rnade by means of the openings 6in the valve J valveL, openings, 32, which lead from the belt-passage E into the chamber ofthe bonnet M, so that, when the valve J is in the position shown in Fig.3 to effect the closing of the perforations 1, on the occurrence of abackward pressure, the water will be forced upwardly through theopenings 6, and, after forcing the valve L to lift, downwardly, by theopenings 32, into the passage E, and thence into the passage F to forcebackward the water toward the mains whereby it is supplied.

Myinvention operates in the following manner: The coagulant-chamber 0being charged, in the manner hereinbefore described, with coagulantcrystals which are readily soluble in water, the valves 30 and 31 areopened for the purpose of allowing the water to fiow downward throughthe pipe Q and the liquid coagulant to flow upward through the pipe 28into the pipe N to commingle with the current of water which flowsthrough the pipe N, the proportion of the coagulant solution to apredetermined quantity of water being regulated by adjusting thecylinders 11 and 12 to either increase or diminish the area of theopenings 17 as occasion may require. So long as no wateris being drawnfrom the purifying apparatus A the pressures on the lower face of thevalve J and the upper face of the head K will be virtually balanced, sothat the weight of the valve-stem I and its attachments will depress thevalve J, and thereby effect the closing of the perforations 1, but assoon as the water-purifying apparatus A is opened, to allow the water toflow therefrom, the pressure acting upon the upper face of the head Kwill be reduced to a degree that will allow the pressure acting upon thelower face of said head to force the valve-stem I, and its parts, tomove upwardly and carry the valve J from covering the perforations 1;c0- incidently with the upward movement of the valve J, the valve P willbe moved upwardly to successively carry the openings 17 above the upperend of the extension 0 to uncover said openings; the uncovering of eachrow of the perforations 1 will occur simultaneously with the uncoveringof the corresponding openings 17 in the valve P, thereby allowing apredetermined quantity of the partially filtered water from the chamberH to percolate through the openings 17 and thence downwardly, throughthe pipe Q, into the lower part of the coagulant-chamber C, to displacethe same quantity of the coagulant-solution from said chamber. Thequantity of solution so displaced will flow upwardly, through,

the pipe 28, and be discharged into the pipe N, wherein said solutionwill commingle with the current of infiowing water to effect aprecipitation of the matter held in suspensionin said water. Saidprecipitation is readily separated from said water, when treated asabove described, by passing the water through the filtering materialcontained in the waterpurifying apparatus A. The valve J, during thefirst of its downward movements, and until it has edected the closing ofthe perforations 1, descends rapidly. Then it settles down graduallyuntil the flange l6 bears closely upon the upper face of the extension0, to form a water-tight joint at that point. The final descendingmovement of the valve J will equal the distance that the lower part ofsaid valve overlaps the lower perforation 1, and said descendingmovement is facilitated by the water which flows upwardly through theopenings 32 and thence downwardly, through the leakage between the boreof the hub 7 and valve-stem I, and through the openings 6, into thespace between the valve J and head K to re-establish an equilibrium ofpressure in said space. In my earlier device, as covered by my formerpatent hereinbefore referred to, the liquid coagulant was carried intothe valve-casing wherein it is liable to efiect a corrosion of the partsthat will interfere with its operation. In this present device theliquid coagulant does not enter the valve-casing nor any part wherein acorrosive action of said coagulant will affect the operativeness ot' theapparatus, and, by reason of the provision made for the delicateadjustment of the openings through the valve P, the proportion of liquidcoagulant to a given quantity of water can be reduced to such aninfinitesimal quantity that any nocuous quality that said coagulantmight possibly possess will be rendered perfectly harmless, while thepotency of the solution for effecting the precipitation of matter heldin suspension by the water will re main.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. An attachment for automatically controlling the supply of liquidcoagulant fed into a water-purifying apparatus, the same consisting of avalve-casing containing an automatic valve which controls the flow ofwater into the water-purifying apparatus and an auxiliary valve attachedto said automatic valve for the purpose of governing the flow of waterinto a coagulant-chamber, in combination with a coagulant-chamber, acoagulant-pipe leading upwardly from said coagulant-chamber into a pipeleading from said valve-casing into the water-purifying apparatus;whereby the liquid coagulant will be fed into said water-purifyingapparatus without entering said valve-casing, as and for the purposeherein specified.

2. The combination of a valve-casing havingaseries of inlet-openin gsarranged to enter the bore of said casing at different planes, an

annular passage having direct communication with said openings, awater-supply passage leading into said annular passage and havingaconstantly-open branch leading into the lower part of the bore of saidcasing, a water -discharge passage leading laterally from said bore, anautomatic Water-controlling valve consisting of two connected pistons orheads which are fitted to slide in the bore of said valve-casing and toform a communicating passage between said water-discharge passage andinlet-openings; the lower piston forming a closure for said bore betweensaid water-discharge passage and the branch of the water-supply passage,and an auxiliary valve operated by said automatic water-controllingvalve and fitted to slide in an extension of said casing; said auxiliaryvalve being provided with a series of outlet openings for controllingthe flow of water into a coagulant-chamber, as and for the purposeherein specified.

3. The combination with a valve-casing having a-water-supply passageleading into an annular passage provided with a series of inlet openingsarranged to communicate with the bore of said casing at difierentplanes, a filtering chamber which forms acommunication between saidwater-supply passage and the lower part of the bore of said casing, anautomatic valve which controls the fiow of water into a water-purifyingapparatus; said valve consisting of two connected pistons or headsfitted to slide in the bore of said casing and forming a communicatingpassage between said inlet openings and a water-discharge passage whichleads laterally from the bore of said casing, and a tubular auxiliaryvalve operated bysaid automatic valve,whereby the supply of waterflowing into an attached coagulant-chamber will be controlled, as andfor the purpose herein specified.

4. The combination of a water-purifying apparatus, an automatic-valvefor controlling the fiow of water into said apparatus, an auxiliaryvalve connected to and operated by said automatic-valve and arranged tocontrol the flow of water into a coagulant-chamber, and acoagulant-chamber provided with a coagulant-pipe arranged to dischargeliquid coagulant into the water-supply pipe of the water-purifyingapparatus, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

JAMES H. BLESSING. Witnesses:

WM. F. WHEELooK, WM. H. Low.

